Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
How complex is animal communication?
Position‹2 of 2

Animal communication is not very complex

This position holds that animal signalling, however rich it appears, stays simple in kind: proponents argue it conveys states and triggers responses rather than referring or combining, and that richer readings owe more to interpretation than to the signals.

Supporting arguments · 2

  1. Richer-looking signals still convey states and trigger responses rather than referring
  2. Much of the apparent complexity is supplied by the observer rather than the signal